Fremantle midfielder Hayden Young says "there's a gap" between the club's best and worst isn't where it should be, which was the main issue in the Round 6 loss to Melbourne.
The Dockers were on a three-game win streak, but Young said that those victories gave the club a false sense of confidence, given that two of them were against West Coast and Richmond.
"It's been frustrating because there has been a gap," Young said.
"I feel our best footy, in those areas, when we bring it, beats anyone.
"Sometimes it's a mindset thing. Coming off three wins against, maybe some weaker opposition, and just expecting it's going to happen.
"But against any AFL team, that's not the case. And if you're off by a couple of per cent in any area, you'll get touched up, and that's what happened on the weekend."
Football has never seen so many momentum swings as it does today, which at the MCG on Saturday, allowed Fremantle to get back into the contest but ultimately fell short.
The Dockers trailed by 29 points late in the second quarter but were able to storm back into the match and nearly steal victory, which is a promising sign for Young.
"The reality was, we still gave ourselves a chance to win the game of football," Young said.
"Doesn't matter if you're off a little bit early, you still need to find a way to get back, and we did that, but we fell a bit short.
"But you've got to make sure that when you're off, you don't stay off for too long."
Fremantle's poor defence through transition was on display against Melbourne, and the classy left-footer says it will be a focus of the week coming up against Adelaide.
The Crows are one of the competition's heaviest scorers, and their ability to rebound from one end to another is set to be a difficult challenge.
"On the weekend, they transitioned the ball too easily from the back half," Young said.
"I think Adelaide are the No.1 team from scoring from their back half. So, in a nutshell, that's the focus."
